He is not here, he is risen!

Easter is behind us now, but it’s crucial to keep Jesus’ resurrection in view year-round.  Let his defeat of death and our sure hope of abundant life beyond the grave reverberate in your soul today and every day!  A great way to do this is to review 1 Corinthians 15.

“Christ died for our sins” (v 3).  The gruesome cross was not random but purposeful.  “He was pierced for our transgressions…” (Isaiah 53:5).

The risen Christ appeared to the Apostles and over 500 believers (vv 5-6).  It didn’t happen “in a corner.”  History must take this seriously.

So central to Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus that, without it, our faith and preaching would be “in vain” and “futile” (vv 14, 17).

Because of the resurrection, believers no longer wallow in sin’s guilt.  The empty tomb signals God’s approval that the sin-bearing sacrifice of his Son was sufficient to save us (v 17).

Without the resurrection, Christians who die would “perish” (v 18).

To hope in Christ for the blessings of this life only is “pitiful” (v 19).

Jesus’ victory over death is the “firstfruits” of the future resurrection of all believers (i.e., the first sign of a coming grand harvest, v 20).  It’s a down-payment, a guarantee of our spectacular life to come.

“The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (v 26).  Death may seem like an ominous foe today, but it has been declawed and will be obliterated.

“What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.  It is sown in dis­honor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power” (vv 42-43).  The weakness and flaws of our earthly bodies will be gone in the age to come!  No more sickness or tears, no more pain or sorrow.

“For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (v 52).  God will summon his people from the grave.

“O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?” (v 55).  The grave has no answer to these penetrating questions!

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (v 57).  Thank the Lord for his secure love and our sure hope!